I’ve had to keep this news secret for many, many months – but I am delighted to announce at last that my “Green Gables House®” painting has been selected for three distinctions in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of the publication of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables. First, my painting was chosen by Canada Post’s jury panel to be one of two stamps that will be issued on June 20, 2008 with first day covers and the like (click here for images of both stamps). Second, Canada Post and Japan Post have joined together to have an historical joint stamp issue, with joint first day covers, that will also bear the image of my painting (click here for images of the two joint-issue stamps, plus additional Japan-specific stamps). Third, the Royal Canadian Mint has used my painting in conjunction with their issue of a special Anne of Green Gables coin, which will be released on April 16 (click here to see the coin and then on the “other picture” link above the coin to see an image of the coin in its packaging).

My open edition print of “Green Gables House®” is still available and it should be possible to offer the prints matted together with the stamps for framing; my distributor Greetings From Newfoundland will work out the logistics of this closer to the release date of the stamps.

The astute observer will notice how Canada Post and the Royal Canadian Mint each cropped the painting differently, and Canada Post changed the foreground to resemble the typical reddish soil of Prince Edward Island. As well, there was a fire at Green Gables House® a few years ago, and the roof was replaced with dark green, quite unlike the tan roof that it had at the time I did this painting.